Kodiak Wildlife Refuge worker kills charging bearA technician working for the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge shot and killed a brown bear Sunday when it charged him and a co-worker to within a few feet near Red Lake, on the south end of Kodiak Island, a refuge official said Thursday. Deputy Refuge Manager Tevis Underwood said the technician and his co-worker were hiking to a hillside camp to conduct observations of bear behavior in the Connecticut Creek drainag...

Public Safety Blotter: July 10July 2 At 12:14 a.m., corrections officers requested and police provided assistance with an unruly inmate at the Kodiak Jail. At 12:29 a.m., patrolling officers were advised of suspicious circumstances on Bartel Avenue. At 1:43 a.m., police cited a driver on Rezanof Drive East for having no proof of insurance. At 2:09 a.m., police warned a driver on Rezanof Drive East about a headlight out. At 2:45 a.m., police ci...

TAPESTRY: Memorable Saltery road experiences keep riders on alertJust about every ATV owner in Kodiak has taken his vehicle on the narrow trail that extends from the American River near the Chiniak Highway to Saltery Cove. Dale Stratton, owner of Can’t Get Enough ATV River Fishing, is one of the first to drive the Saltery trail in the spring when there, in most cases, is still a lot of snow on the road. When the weather warms up, heavy rains can make the rivers impassable. Ther...

God created mountains, oceans to remind us who’s in chargeThis has been a week of firsts for me. First ferry ride on the M/Vs Kennicott and Tustumena each, first Xtratuf wearing (I earned the privilege later), first small boat ride on the ocean, first puffin sighting, first salmon catches (trolling, a silver and a bright pink, and several others that we threw back), first ocean kayak trip, first baby-suckling-its-mama seals sighting, and first water taxi ride. (Now is th...

Alaska Flag Day: Reflecting on history, good and badIf you grew up in Alaska, at one point or another you have learned about Benny Benson and the creation of the Alaska state flag. If you are like me, the details of the story became a little faded over the years. So, on Alaska Flag Day, I am revisiting the story of our ‘simple flag’ and I hope you, like I, will find a renewed sense of pride in its beautiful simplicity. The Alaska flag is much more than the constell...

Navy training harms marine lifeTo the Editor, NOAA (National Marine Fisheries Service) is taking public comments until July 17 regarding the Navy’s request of a Letter of Authorization to continue training and testing in the Pacific Northwest including the Gulf of Alaska until 2020. Comments can be made on NOAA’s website under the section titled: ‘Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; U.S. Navy Training and Testing Activit...

STRIKING GOLD: Swearingin qualifies for national tournamentBy DEREK CLARKSTON Mirror Writer Dustin Swearingin was not pleased when his mom signed him up to compete for a spot at the Junior Gold Championships — the biggest youth bowling tournament in the nation. “I was actually pretty mad at my mom for signing me up because usually the people signed up have high averages,” Swearingin said. He has no reason to be mad at his mom now. Swearingin qualified for the prestigious ...

Kodiak loses two at DistrictsThe Kodiak Little League intermediate baseball all-stars fell to 0-3 in District I play after a pair of losses on Wednesday and Thursday. Despite getting a complete-game performance from Nevin Lee, Kodiak fell, 9-2, to Abbott-O-Rabbit on Wednesday in Knik. On Thursday, Kodiak mustered only a pair of hits in a 10-0 loss to Knik. “We are playing better baseball each game, and to me that is the important thing,” coac...

Cannery worker in 1915 photo identified; among first Filipinos in KodiakHe was never famous. He never drove a car. He never flew in a plane. But Denis Rodill, records would show, was among the first Filipinos to live in Kodiak. And he was a war hero. Rodill’s fascinating story came to light after his 77-year-old daughter, Diane, spent seven years researching his life and his remarkable worldwide journey from Manila to ports around the world, surviving several wars as a Merchant Marine...

ITN seeks volunteers for removal of marine debris Island Trails Network has stored tens of thousands of pounds of marine debris collected from islands and shorelines in the Kodiak Archipelago during the past couple of years. Now, they’re getting the chance to have it taken to the lower-48 for recycling. A barge is coming around stopping in Kodiak and other areas in coastal Alaska to pick up previously collected marine debris and take it to Washington for recyclin...